The Ikom Calabar federal highway has been overtaken by flood, as motorists and road users were trapped in the Okuni community after a heavy downpour in the early hours of Saturday.

The flood resulted from an overflow of water from the Ikom River along the road linking Calabar to the Mfum border of Cameroon.

Narrating his ordeal to journalists, a motorist, Johnson Ada, said his vehicle broke down, and his passengers were forced to walk through the water, which is almost at knee level.

According to him, anytime the river is full during heavy rains, it overflows onto the road.

“It has always been like this anytime we are in the rainy season. My vehicle has broken down, and the passengers have to join another vehicle to Ikom. It is a huge loss to me,” Mr Ada explained. “Government should do something about this road. We can’t continue like this.”

Confirming the disaster, Abdullahi Hassan, the sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) in Cross River, said efforts were ongoing to engage sister agencies to see what they could do to rescue the situation.

“I have called the Ikom sector commander to go and do a thorough assessment of the flooded road axis,” stated the FRSC commander.

The water has risen above three feet high over the road and almost 300-yard long from the river bank. Torrential rainfall has occurred in many parts of Cross River in the last 48 hours, especially in Calabar. 

(NAN)